Bizarre Case of Arthur Ketch
by jayjang2
Summary: All is safe for now and Ketch is behaving unusually around Dean.


Something warm is tugging at Dean's heartstrings at the abundance of people surrounding him in the bunker. Getting his family back and saving more than a handful of people is a win in his book, personally – it's a generous win. Of course, there's a dull and too familiar ache at the loss of Gabriel but the sacrifice is something that he understands all too well. The man gotta do what he gotta do, and besides, it's Gabriel. The last time they thought he bit the dust, he was having a good time with Loki and his kids… before he got tortured and became angel juice for Asmodeus. But that's not the point.

He was about to approach Jack who is sitting at the corner, looking somber, when Mary beat Dean to it. As much as he wants to talk to the kid, he's more than happy to allow his mother to take the stage on this one. They might not have spent a whole lifetime with her but it all comes down to the fact that Mary is family, and a hunter, and is self-sacrificing to a fault.

It was the prickling sensation of someone looking at him that got Dean scanning the room and meeting eyes with Ketch. That smug face that makes a good and satisfying punching bag is slowly growing on him. Damn, the thing is, Ketch is good, more than good, at what he does, and the fact that the man saved a lot of people's lives, including his own sorry ass must count into something.

The heavy look directed at him and the minute head tilt got Dean walking towards Ketch, a glass of whisky at hand. Once Dean got to a decent space in front of the British ex-men of letter, they look at each other at a loss of what to do with the too close space, and without a reason to save or gut the other man.

"Uh…" Ketch, for once is failing to come up with anything to say.

Dean rolled his eyes and just this one time, he'll allow himself to clink glasses with Ketch and share this one victory against their common enemy. Dean moved himself from in front of Ketch to stand with him side by side.

"You really are something, Dean Winchester" Ketch whispered in between the space between them, and although Dean caught it, he decided not to comment and just took a sip from his glass. Variations of the sentiment have been said to him for a million times and more from different people - monsters, angels, demons, gods, entities. Oh, how did life become so complicated?

They have been observing the people around them for a while, quietly, side by side, occasionally smiling at those who notice them. Occasionally bumping arms with each other when accidentally shoved by some apocalypse world human beings.

Dean's gaze always gravitates towards the ones he treasures the most. His brother, Sam and the way he talks to people, charming them with words and wit and kindness. To the angel Cas, who is currently explaining the wonders of a cellular phone to Charlie and being smug about it. To his mother, Mary who is laughing with Bobby, and to Jack who seems in need of someone to talk to.

Once again, Dean started making his way to Jack when he heard Ketch fake cough beside him.

"Can we… um…" The British man tipped his head towards to corridor where there are less people which means Ketch would like to talk to Dean in private or take Dean away to murder him.

With a displeased pout, he followed Ketch through the corridors who stopped in front of Dean's room. Why there, Dean could only hazard a guess. After a moment too long of Ketch standing there, in front of the other man without any anything being said or done, Dean squinted his eyes and have had enough of the obvious discomfort of the man in front of him.

"Spit it out, Ketch"

Ketch inhaled, gathering strength from the air. "I know it might get awkward, but I would like to stay for a while… here… in the bunker," He squinted with calculating eyes, counter argument at the ready the moment he sees Dean's objection.

'Damn right, it'll be awkward,' Dean wanted to say but then, he thought about all the people out there who'll be staying for an unforeseeable time in the bunker and began to wonder why Ketch would feel especially awkward with staying in the bunker with them. They might not even see each other that much with all the action that's going to happen for the next days… or weeks.

"Why would it be awkward?" Dean asked just to humor himself. Just taking advantage of the fact that at this moment, Ketch is looking quite exposed which is unnatural of him.

"You know… With Mary finally being here… and" Ketch pointed at himself. Dean did not get it at first, but once it sunk in, he gave Ketch a taste of his very own bitch face. Dean has never hated the man's face and accent more.

"Mary is a big girl," Dean sighed, choosing to be the bigger man between the two and avoid any untoward incident like pushing a knife through Ketch's stomach, "I'd love to see her punch you in the face if you try something funny".

Dean has had enough and is more than ready to go ahead and return to the library where all the action is happening when Ketch for the nth time, continue to pester him by taking ahold of his arm. Not too strong, but firm. When Dean looked back, Ketch withdrew his hand in a low surrender. Dean raised a brow in anticipation at what else could possibly be said between them.

"There's something else that might make my stay… even more awkward", said Ketch as he slowly stepped forward into Dean's space and held the other man's nape towards his face for a kiss. To Dean's utter horror, his response was not to push the other man but to respond in kind at the slow slide of the other's lips against his. It was a quick, quite hurriedly but heavy exchange packed with hatred and gratitude and everything in between. A bang on a nearby door made Dean push Ketch away.

Dean has never seen the man so flustered, and he'd laugh at how Ketch doesn't seem to know where to put his hands, straightening the invisible wrinkles on his clothes, if not for Castiel's squinty frown looking at them.

Ketch, finally straightening up and regaining his composure, faced Dean and looked at him in the eye with determination.

"Thank you, Dean," and with a final nod, he walked out without a glance at Castiel.

"Well, that was awkward," Dean whispered. There's an apologetic smile on his face as he faced Cas' not too happy and totally irritated mug.

"Dean? What was that?" The angel asked, his tone almost hysterical.

"I don't know, Cas!" Dean answered equally hysterical.

There's a tense energy in the air where everything seems to have stopped moving. Castiel is angrily staring at the space where Ketch once was and Dean standing stupidly still, trying not to summon more of Cas' anger with the dumb comment at the tip of his tongue, lest he disintegrate into thin air.

"Why haven't I thought of that before?" Castiel asked, still angry, but now like a kid in the verge of having a major meltdown.

"What, Ketch having some kind of weird boner for me?" Dean said wiggling both his eyebrows at his words, allowing just this one joke through.

"No. Kissing you."

Once again, the air seemed to have frozen and even Cas now have this 'I-should've-not-said-that' look on his face. Dean continued to stand there awfully still, shocked as he tried to process the meaning behind those words and can come up with none – nope. Dean's mind is offline.

A bout of laughter from a far woke them up from all the stillness and both cannot seem to look at each other in the eye. Dean sighed loudly as Cas looked up in the ceiling trying to summon the courage to face Dean once again.

At the end, it was Dean who moved first and opened the door to his room. He looked at Cas in the eye with a smirk.

"We could do something about that, you know?"

Mirroring Dean's expression, Castiel purposely followed his human inside the room and firmly closed the door with a locking click.


End file.
